Effect of oxygen and solute on PGE and PGF production by rat kidney slices

Increasing oxygen from 5% to 95% resulted in an increases production of both PGE's and PGF's. The release of prostaglandins from slices of rat kidney cortex and outer and inner medulla was measured. Prostaglandin production was observed predominantly in the inner medulla, was close to the lower limit of detection in the outer medulla, and was undetectable in the cortex. Increasing oxygen concentration resulted in a threefold increase in inner medullary prostaglandin production. Synthesis at 95% O2 was less at 2100 mOsm than at 300 mOsm, while synthesis at 5% O2 was not affected by high solute concentration. The implications of these results with respect to kidney function are discussed.